Minner om Hidden Villa = Memories from Hidden Villa

Jeg kunne ikke uttrykke min glede nok når jeg hørte fra venninen min, Siri, at det er en gård nær Oslo hvor vi kunne bli medlem. Det som jeg har savnet mest (foruten familen og venner) fra California har vært ferske, saftige grønnsaker, direkte fra en andelsgård.





I was overjoyed to hear from my friend, Siri, that there was in fact a farm near Oslo where we could become members. One of the things that I have missed the most from California (besides family and friends) has been fresh, juice vegetables, direct from a community farm.

Hidden Villa Gård i Los Altos California ble min første innførelse til andelsgårder i 2003 som heter Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) gårder i USA. Etter en anbefaling fra en venn arbeidet jeg frivillig med ham der hver onsdag i sesongen.

In 2003 Hidden Villa Farm in Los Altos California was my first real introduction to community farms which are called Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farms in the US. After the recommentation of a friend, I volunteered there with him every Wednesday for a season.

I begynnelsen var jeg litt forbauset over at han likte å jobbe der. Det tok over en time for å sykle til gården og det var ganske tøft arbeid å luke lange rader med gulrotter og kål. Etter tre timer var vi helt utslitte, solbrent og dekket med skitt. Alt som man kunne høste den første uke var noen misdannede reddiker og noen få salat blader.

In the beginning I was a little taken aback by his enuthiasm for the volunteer labor. It took over one hour to bike to the farm each week and it was fairly tough work to weed long rows of carrots and cabbage. After our three hour shifts we were often exhausted, sunburned and covered in dirt. All that we had to show for it after the first week were some misshapen radishes and a few scrawny greens.

Men, etter noen uker forstod jeg hans motivasjon. Det var et fredelig og rolig felleskap på jordet. Borte fra byen kunne vi høre på vinden i trærene og sangene fra ville fugler. Selv om arbeidet var gjentagende, var det helt stressfritt. Mens jeg begynte å bli kjent med de andre på gården lærte jeg nyttige tips om mat og liv- hvorfor økologiske grønnsaker er bedre en vanlig mat, hvordan aspargusplanter ser ut, og hvordan man kan lage oliver. Oppvokst i byen, hadde jeg bare uklare ideer om hvordan grønnsaker vokser.

But after a few weeks I began to understand his motivation. There was a sense of community there in the quiet and peaceful countryside. Away from the bustle of the city we could listen to the wind blowing in the bay trees and the call of the wild song birds. Even though the work was quite repetitive, it was completely stress-free. As I began to meet the other folks on the farm I learned useful tips about food and life in general - why organic food matters, what an asparagus plant looks like, and how to make olives or find the best ones at the farmers market. Having grown up in the suburbs, I had only a vague idea of were food really comes from, and how it is grown.

I løpet av noen måneder økte avlingen foran øyene min fra små blader til fulle andelskurver med agurker, tomater, poteter, purre, gresskar og planter som jeg aldri hadde brukt før. Opplevelsen tvang meg til å forandre mine tanker om matlaging helt. Naturligvis begynte jeg å spise mye mer grønnsaker og ta sesongen i betraktning. Og nå kan jeg ikke gå tilbake til mine gamle levevaner mer. I stedet for en liten og ubetydelig ettertanke, er grønnsaker det som jeg gleder meg til på middagstallerken. Og nå tenker jeg alltid om hvor de kommer fra.

Over the course of a few months the weekly harvest for the members grew before my eyes from a few small leaves to full baskets with cucumbers, tomatos, potatos, leeks, pumpkins and plants that I had never though to eat before. The experience forced me to completely change the way I think about food. As a natural consquence of course I began to eat more seasonal vegetables. Now, I can't imagine going back to my old habits. Instead of thinking of vegetables as insignificant side dishes, they now take center stage as a highlight of any meal. And now, I always think about where it is that they came from.